Craig Robertson “resisted arrest and as agents attempted to take him into custody, he pointed a .357 revolver at them,” FBI spokeswoman Sandra Barker said in an emailed statement.
The bureau has not provided any evidence to support the claim. Ms. Barker declined to say whether there was any photographic or video evidence showing Mr. Robertson pointing a gun at agents.
The family of Mr. Robertson, who was declared dead at the scene, did not return a request for comment.
Relatives said in an earlier statement that Mr. Robertson was “a kind and generous person” who was suffering from “limited mobility.”
They did not dispute that he threatened President Joe Biden and other officials but said that he was exercising his First Amendment rights and that he “would never commit any act of violence against another human being over a political or philosophical disagreement.”
The FBI has not said whether Mr. Robertson fired his weapon.
A group of approximately 20 officers and agents went to Mr. Robertson’s home in Provo, Utah, on Aug. 9 to serve arrest and search warrants, according to neighbors and the FBI.
The warrants were supported by social media posts attributed to Mr. Robertson, including posts that suggested Mr. Robertson was going to try to assassinate President Biden when he traveled to Salt Lake City and detailed plans to murder New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
“I hear Biden is coming to Utah. Digging out my old ghillie suit and cleaning the dust off the M24 sniper rifle. Welcome, buffoon-in-chief!” one post stated, according to court documents and a review of the Facebook page before it was taken down.
“I’ll be waiting in the courthouse parking garage with my suppressed Smith & Wesson M&P 9mm to smoke a radical fool prosecutor that should never have been elected,” he wrote in another, regarding Mr. Bragg.
FBI agents visited Mr. Robertson at his home earlier this year and he told them not to return without a warrant. In another social media post, he wrote, “To my friends in the Federal Bureau of Idiots: I know you’re reading this and you have no idea how close your agents came to ‘violent eradication.’”
Other posts showed Mr. Robertson’s support for former President Donald Trump, his tactical gear, and his extensive gun collection. Neighbors said he owned approximately 20 firearms.
Mr. Robertson was charged in federal court with several counts, including threatening the president, according to court documents.
The execution of the warrants, which started before dawn, saw the officers try to compel Mr. Robertson to exit his home by using flash bangs, Jon Michael Ossola, a neighbor who witnessed the scene, told The Epoch Times.
Mr. Robertson was heard refusing, alleging he had not committed any crimes, before gunshots rang out at about 6:15 a.m. local time.
Mr. Ossola said he was not able to see how the shooting transpired.
Katie Monson, Mr. Robertson’s next-door neighbor, told The Associated Press that agents tried to use a battering ram to enter Mr. Robertson’s front door. When that did not work, they drove a tactical vehicle onto his lawn, near his front window.
Ms. Monson said she heard shots being fired before officers dragged Mr. Robertson outside the home.
Neighbors said they saw emergency medical personnel arrive and examine Mr. Robertson but that it looked like he was already dead.
Family members said they were “shocked and devastated by the senseless and tragic killing of our beloved father and brother, and we fervently mourn the loss of a good and decent man.”
The FBI has said it would investigate the “agent-involved shooting.”
“The FBI takes all shooting incidents involving our agents or task force officers seriously,” Ms. Barker said on Monday. “In accordance with FBI policy, the shooting incident is under review by the FBI’s Inspection Division. We have no further details to provide at this time.”
Provo Police Department officers were spotted on the scene after the shooting but the department said it was not part of the operation.
“Yesterday the Provo Police Department became aware that the FBI intended to serve a federal arrest warrant in Provo this morning,” the department said hours after the shooting. “We did not contribute any personnel to the team that went to the house to serve that warrant. After the agent-involved shooting happened this morning, our involvement has been limited to supporting the FBI while they conduct a continuing investigation. We look forward to learning more about what happened.”
